Station owner Randy Markel has confirmed to Dan Caesar of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Jim Hayes has been let go by KFNS. The host of The Morning After is also a reporter and studio host for Cardinals games on FOX Sports Midwest.
There was strife between Markel and Hayes prior to the move. Markel, who is currently trying to sell KFNS, said that the decision was based largely on the economy.
“He’s another casualty of the coronavirus,” Markel said noting that while he likes Hayes personally, it was time for KFNS to make a personnel change.
Lending further evidence to the idea that this is a financial decision, Charlie Marlow is expected to take over Hayes’ spot on The Morning After for the time being. The station will get double duty out of him.
“Charlie wants to sell advertising for the show, and he costs us less than Hayes,” Markel said.
Markel added that he would be willing to revisit the decision in the new year. If Jim Hayes were to return, it would be something of a pattern. He was taken off air in 2017 only to return a short time later after listener outcry.
